Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 125, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1904 — FARMERS CORNER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARMERS CORNER

Feeding; Sheep in Tronght. The desigfi of a sheep trough, illustrated herewith, is one which has been found entirely satisfactory, all things -considered: it is but little tronble to make it, but its superiority over the average trough is so great that the labor spent in its construction will be well spent. As shown, the trough is 12 feet long, 1G inches wide, 22 inches high tapered as shown. With the exception of the slats which are %-lnch thick and 2tfc inches wide the trough Is made of 1-inch lumber. The sides, -which are nailed on the edge of the bottom are 6 inches wide. The end pieces or legs are 3 Inches wide and •extend (t Inches below the bottom of the trough as shown. These legs, are, of course, fastened securely to the trough after the latter is built and are independent of the

•rack itself. The rack Is built by nailing the slats one foot apart on pieces 3 inches wide and 12 feet long and iare then hinged to the side of the trough so that they rest on the edgo-a »f the trough when closed. Two hinges ion each side (strap hinges of course) 'will be sufficient. At about the middle of the racks a bent hasp is fastened iso that when the racks are In place they may be held so by turning the 'hasp over to the other side over a staple and holding it in place with a bit of wood. In this arrangement either rack may be let down and the trough thus filled from either side. Keep Chicks Growing. Whether the chickens are being raised for the market or for winter layers, it is essential that they make the best possible growth from birth togoiag into winter quarters or to the market. The range, to a largo extent, solves the question of food and of healthy growth, but It is necessary that the chtcks have some food other than that picked up on the range, or they will wear themselves out trying to get enough to eat. Then, if they roost under cover at night, and they should by all means do this, there is the question of lice which must be given proper consideration, for a few lice will cause the chick to lose more weight in a month than can he made good by two months of feeding. Everything possible must be done to keep the chicks growing during the summer; keep them making a strong, steady gain, and then they will be profitable, and not otherwise.

School for Training Farmers. American farmers are the most intelligent tillers of soil in the world. An example of this Is shown in the Improved agricultural machinery of this country as compared with that of other countries. A large part of this machinery is due to the inventions of the farmers themselves. In selling farm machinery in foreign countries, the greatest drawback to the development of the trade Is the ignorance of the fanner classes. One American firm's trade has been so hindered tuat it has decided'to start a school of training for farmers’ sons Omsk. Russia, where the principles of mechanics as applied to farm machinery will be taught. Feeding Value of Alfalfa. It is within a few years since any special attention has been paid to alfalfa and farmers have been slow Jn testing it. Perhaps the undisputed statement that a ton of alfalfa properly cured has nearly the same feeding value as a ton of wheat bran will convince farmers that the crop is worth their attention. Unlike clover It is not difficult to get a catch of alfalfa and it does not readily winter - ldll. One cannot put to better use n jiortion of the leisure days than In finding out all possible about alfalfa and Its culture. Better Dairymen Needed. A writer says: “When I see a cow with a good, sharp back, a deep body,, a clean head, and prominent bright eyes, two large milk wells and a double extension milk vein, and those about the size of a. linger, I say at once: Wlint a pity that this cow did not have an owner «s well bred as the, in order that her liodlly functions might have been developed and her full powers given play. Her capacity is from 8,000 to 10.000 pounds of milk yearly; her production does not exceed half this amount Corn Long Grown in the Wcat. Corn, which Is one of the staple products of Kansas, has been grown •on the soil of that State for hundreds of years. Perhaps the first mention cf Kansas corn is found In the chronicles of the famous Coronado expedition of 1451. How long It was cultivated there before that time is not •definitely known. i, Corn and other veg n table products were cultivated by the prehistoric Taces of America from a very primitive period, and Knnsas has been oc-

copied by mss from an extremely mote time, as the famous Lansinj skeleton well attests. found the Kunzas Indians, tr6m whojj the State derived its name, ralsfeg corn and other vegetables at their (§[. lages on the Missouri River nearly ty 0 centuries ago. Prof. Thomas Say. the naturalist D f Major Long's expedition, visited t^i s same tribe in their village near tfo e present site of Manhattan in 18|y, Col. Zebttlon M. Pike, in the jouri, a i of his expeditions in ISOG, refers t 0 the Pawnee Indians, who were raising a sufficiency of corn and pumpkins. Their pumpkins were cut Into tlji n slices and dried In the sun. Skim Milk for Plga. Relative to an Inquiry concerning skim milk and pigs, will say that two weeks old the young pig will begin to take skim milk from a sepa rft te trough. Of course, only a little win be consumed at that time, but it should be supplied two .or three times gaily at urst, and twice daily later. At fl rß t skim milk alone may be given, but later cornmeal, barley meal or middlings should be added. Allow the young pig to eat practically all it w m of the combination. Often it is ,be»t to have the trough from whichr the pigs feed in a special inclosure the pigs can reach it, while th{jy ai n is kept away. If this plan is fojptared the pigs will gradually wean SgieEfiselves whCn al>out ten weeks <|«j f or at least there will be no troujjte jp finally separating them from tin, <jam. Carefully conducted experiments at this station have shown that to get the largest returns from both and meal, not over three pounds 4f B kini milk should be given for eacl, pound of cornmeal or other grain. Wi) e re on e has large quantities of milk may feed as much jis from sik to nine pounds (if milk with each l>o J lm q of grain, but in that case the returns arc no so economical as where tl, e milk does not run over three pou n( i s for each pound of grain. There Is no beter single ft»ed for pigs than skim milk. where large numbers of pigs are (handled there are runts or pigs df condlti6n, undersized, etc. Always separate these from the main lot and fed them separately, giving special cJaro. One will be surprised to see hoM|tbp unlikely specimens will itnprojvg with a little care and extra allownqcj» o f j milk grain.—Prof. W. A. Ben*’, In Hoard’s Dairyman. J One-Man Croea-Cnt S«4-, When one man operates the cross cut saw the blade Is apt to wabble more or less, making It dffleult foi one man to get good work from thr tool. An excellent way to strengthen the blade is to take a ht-kory pop about a foot longer than the saw, shav lug down the end rather tat so that It will be about one-half inch thick. Saw a slit In this end cf the pole slip it over the saw blade q o de to th< handle and wire It to the iaudle after making two holes, one on either side of the slit in the pole. Tl e other end may be treated in the sfme manner or a notch may be cut in the hnndli of the saw nud the sliavec end of the pole go up against this n>tcli and be wired to the handle. If the pole is a good ore tikis device will materially stiffen tl e saw blade so that one man can opera t<| the saw with good results. The, {lustration shows the details as so! >w|: Figure

1 shows how tlie end 0 f the pole Is split and slipped over saw blade and wired; figure 2 shows sp nt end with holes ready for win a nd figure 3 shows one of the handles of the saw with a slight notch Cjt in it to receive the end of the lole.—lndianapolis News. - r dl ntß . Young geese are r 0 t good breeders. Goose eggs do not hatch well when shipped quite a dist lnce . As an egg-produeng grain oats has not an equal amon* cereals. Best results are n>t obtained by permitting poultry to roost in trees. Pure refined chaieoal is qne of the best disinfectants f o e the poultry yards. Young ducks sh( U hi' be kept away from swimming until they are well feathered. I Ducks may hi 'advantageously raised on many fmnjs where they have never yet be. n nrled. A goose yields übojut $1 n year it feathers, the marl e t jirice being a bom 40 to 50 cents a JouiAl. Foft-shelled egg) are seldom found where bens are aippiied with cracked bone or small bit! bf oyster shells. Poultry Is raiwfl () n gg.s per cent ol the farms In th. United States. U would be interesting to know what pei cent use high glide fowls. Chicks raised i n late spring and midsummer can be to lay bj’ February if they are given some meai in their dally rn ion Cleanliness is the keynote of health Nothing will breed sickness so quickly as filth, and it Is vety easy to have the henhouse becon ie flthy. Many failure, with incubators are due lately to iJmoia nee in those try lug to ran them,, in this, as in everything else, a pefsor must learn how.

FEED TROUGH FOR SHEEP.

A ONE-MAN SAW